People ask me all the time what they should get so they can take 'good pictures.' While there is some difference between equipment, there is an even bigger difference in the photographer's eyes. A skilled photographer trains to develop their eye, learning to see the world through a lens and putting a unique perspective on an ordinary piece of life.

Decide which photo of the dog is "stronger" according to your own eye. Prepare to discuss why you think one image is stronger than the other.

Note: It is not enough to say that something is "good" or "bad," you must explain what you think is strong or weak. Pinpoint elements that work really well within a photograph, and then you may list elements that are distracting to your eye. Describe possible solutions for how the photographer could avoid such errors in the future.

The Point: The goal of critique is to improve the work. If we only hear that things are "good" or "bad" then we never move forward creatively but rather just get hurt in the process.

Guidelines for Describing Photographs

Descriptions are factual statements about what is seen within an image

Descriptions can be a data-gathering process or a data-reporting process (science experiment)

Description is criticism at the start

When gathering descriptive data, everything matters

Facts about artist, title, medium, size, date, and place or type of presentation are meaningful descriptive data.

Formal analysis is a combination of description and interpretations.

Descriptions should offer information drawn from within and outside of a photograph.

Descriptions can be infinite. Relevancy is the determining factor.

Note: Descriptions are fact, which is different from interpretation or opinion.

Dialogue for Describing Subject Matter

"To describe a photograph or an exhibition is to notice things about it and to tell another, out loud or in print, what one notices. [...] To describe is to criticize."

Photograph by Richard Avedon from his collection of images taken at a mental institution.

In a critique, answer the questions:

What is here?

What am I looking at?

What do I know with certainty about the image?

What is the subject matter?

"Describing [art] is a logical place to start when viewing an exhibition or a popular photograph because it is a means of gathering basic information on which understanding is built. Psychologically, however, we often want to judge first, and our first statements often express approval or disapproval."

Photograph by Richard Avedon from his collection of images taken at a mental institution.

"Subject matter is different from subject. Subject, however, is synonymous with theme or meaning and is more of an interpretive than descriptive endeavor."

How would you describe the subject matter of these images? ​Be politically correct and appropriate in your responses.

"The formal element put to most startling use in these pictures is the scale of the objects in them. Houseplants, knives, forks, and spoons appear larger than life. Our common understanding of the meaning of these pedestrian objects is transformed to a perception of them as exotic and mysterious. (continued)." -- Susan Kismaric description of Plate 3 by Jan Groover (shown left)

Describing the Technical Elements

"The term medium refers to [...] the kind and size of film that was used, the size of the print, whatever it is black and white or in color, characteristics of the camera that was used, and other technical information about how the picture was made, including how the photographer photographs."

Quiz: Why are Instagram images square?

Digital Shift (Optional)

Many people think that photography is much simpler now that film stocks are no longer a factor. But, that's not true. Digital photography poses new challenges including sensor types, sensor sizes, ISO ranges and caps, file formats, and compression rates. Simply put, there is no single "way" to take a picture.

Ultimately, these three formats (below) are the formats photographers tend to use daily. RAW, TIFF, and JPEG. This chart gives a quick explanation for why you would use one format over the others.

Not only do we have file types and compression, but we also have a saturated market for digital cameras. Film cameras were simpler in many respects as photographers were looking for quality parts over "bells and whistles." Today, digital cameras have so many little detailed "perks" to lure customers in that it is hard to know what you should be looking for when buying a camera.

Critiquing a Photographer's Style (Optional)

"Style indicates a resemblance among diverse art objectives from an artist, movement, time period, or geographic location and is recognized by a characteristic handling of subject matter ..."